China Gong Bao Chicken
A spicy dish enhanced with peanuts, gong bao chicken is also called kung pao chicken, meaning "governor's chicken." In the 19th century, the assistant chef of Governor Ding of Sichuan accidentally burned some hot pepper oil. Since there was no time to prepare an alternate dish, the chef went ahead with the burned pepper oil—but used peanuts to cover up the burned flavor. Amazingly, people loved the dish. Food history has shown many times over that cooking mistakes can morph into unique flavors that appeal to the palate.
Recipe Servings: 4
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Total Time
50 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken, cut into ½-inch (1.3-cm) pieces
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) chopped garlic
- 1 piece (½ inch or 1.3 centimeters) fresh ginger, chopped
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) vegetable oil, divided
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce, divided
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) sherry or rice wine, divided
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) hot chili paste
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vinegar
- 2 tsp (10 ml) sugar
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp (30 ml) water
- 1 cup (130 g) bamboo shoots or water chestnuts
- ½ cup (65 g) peanuts
Directions
- Combine chicken, garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of sherry, and salt in a glass or ceramic bowl.
- Combine hot chili paste, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch mixture, bamboo shoots or water chestnuts, and peanuts in a pot.
- Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Sauté chicken pieces (without marinade) over medium-high heat until it turns white.
- Add chicken and marinade to sauce when it starts bubbling.
- Continue cooking over medium heat until sauce thickens.
- Serve hot.
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